Print block



May 11, 1937.

T. PESCI PRINT BLOCK Filed May 28, 1936 U111 r1rIII [raven/L 07.-

J'amcw Pesca' 11y fflwwfim Patented May 11, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in print blocks for block printing machines for printing linoleum, oil-cloth, felt base floor coverings and the like, and particularly relates to print blocks having parallel kerfs formed in the printing surface and lines extending transversely to the length of the kerfs.

Print blocks of this type are formed of wood and the parallel kerfs arecut in the printing surface of the block for retaining the paint for printing purposes. The pattern which is to be printed is formed upon the block by cutting away certain portions of the printing surface between the kerfs, and to assist in following the pattern, parallel lines, which are known as scratch lines are formed upon the printing surface and arranged transversely to the length of the kerfs,

Great difficulty has heretofore been experienced in following the scratch lines, when cutting the -b100k, as said lines are Very faint and nearly illegible.

The object of my invention is to provide a print block withscratch lines which are readily visible and legible, so that the lines may be followed when cutting the printing surface of the block.

A further object is to provide scratch lines upon the block with distinctive coloring material upon the lines for making them legible.

A further object is to provide certain of the scratch lines with additional distinctive material,

I relatively to the intervening lines, to form guide lines at given intervals.

A further object is to provide guide lines extending parallel with the kerfs to facilitate in counting the kerfs.

A further object is to construct a print block with distinctive transverse guide lines arranged to form squares of uniform size and embracing given numbers of the scratch lines and kerfs,,

whereby the scratch lines and kerfs may be readily counted when cutting the printing surface of the block. v

Referring to the accompanying drawing; Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a print block showing the printing surface thereof and embodying my invention.

F g. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a print block as shown in Fig. 1. In the drawing, in which like reference characters refer to like parts, 5 represents a print block which is formed of laminated wood. The standard size of the. print block is nineteen inches in width, two inches in thickness, and six to nine feet in length. The printing surface 6 of the block is provided with parallel kerfs 1, which extend transversely to the length of theblock. The kerfs vary in size in different blocks so that the portions of the printing surface of the block located between the kerfs will be of different widths, depending upon the design to be formed by removing portions of the surface of the block between the kerfs, whereby the remaining portions will form the printing surface when the block is completed.

Longitudinal scratch lines 8 are applied to the printing surface, in a manner well known in the art, to assist in cutting the block according to a pattern. The scratch lines vary in number per inch corresponding to the lines upon the pattern to be followed in cutting the printing surface of the block.

A novel feature of my invention is to provide a print block with material I2 superimposed upon the scratch lines 8 fogmaking them more legible. The material 12 which is applied to the scratch lines may be ink, or paint, of any color contrasting with the color of the printing surface of the block,

Another novel feature of the invention is to construct the print block with guide lines I! and i5, consisting of the material l2 and contrasting in color to the surface of the print block.

'The guide lines I4 are superimposed upon certain of the scratch linesat intervals of one inch and form guide lines for assisting incounting the scratch lines. The lines l4are formed by applying a greater quantity of the material l2 upon certain of the scratch lines which are located one inch apart.

The guide lines l5 extend parallel with the kerfs 1. The lines l5 are formed of the material I2 which is applied to form the-lines l5 upon the portions of the printing surface located between certain of the kerfs I, at intervals of one inch throughout the length of the block. The guide lines l5 are of great assistance in counting the kerfs when following a pattern.

The guide lines l4 and I5 extend transversely to each other and are arranged throughout the entire surface of the block in the form of squares, representing square inches. The squares formed by the lines l4 and I5 assist in following the pattern which is to be followed when cutting the printing surface of the print block.

My invention involves a new and useful result in. print blocks, comprising scratch lines which are legible, guide lines which facilitate in counting the scratch lines and in counting the kerfs, and squares formed by said guide lines which facilitate in following a pattern.

My improved print block has been found to provide a great saving of time and labor in cutting the printing surface of the block. Print blocks heretofore have been provided with scratch lines which were nearly illegible and they were not provided 'with any guide lines to facilitate in counting the scratch lines and the kerfs. My improved print block is constructed with scratch lines which are legible and the guide lines form squares, representing square inches, throughout the entire printing surface of the block which are of great assistance in transferring a pattern to the print block;

I claim:

1. A print block for block printing machines, comprising a printing surface upon the block, said printing surface having parallel keris formed therein, parallel scratch lines upon said surface and intersecting the kerfs, and means upon said scratch lines for adding a contrasting appearance thereto relatively to the printing surface for increasing the legibility of said lines.

2. A print block for block printing machines, comprising a printing surface upon theblock, said printing surface having parallel kerfs formed therein; parallel scratch lines upon said surface and intersecting the kerfs, and contrasting .material upon the scratch lines for increasing the legibility of said lines.

3. A print block for block printing machines, comprising a printing surface upon the block, said printing surface having parallel kerfs formed therein, parallel scratch lines upon said surface and intersecting the kerfs, and coloring material upon said scratch lines for making the latter visible. 4. A print block for block printing machines, comprising a printing surface upon the block, said printing surface having parallel kerfs formed therein, parallel scratch lines upon said surface and intersecting the kerfs, and contrasting material upon certain of said scratch lines located at spaced intervals upon the printing surface.

5. A print block forblock printing machines, comprising a printing surface upon the block, said printing surface having parallel kerfs formed therein, parallel scratch lines upon said surface and intersecting the kerfs, contrasting material upon said scratch lines for making the latter visible, and certain of said scratch lines located at spaced intervals having a relatively greater amount of said material thereon than the intervening scratch lines.

THOMAS PESCI. 

